Folding teigger for shutters



June' 15,1937. N. B. GREEN FOLDING TRIGGER FOR SHUTTERS Original Filed Jan. 30, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet l June 15, 1937. N. B. GREEN Re. 20,407

FOLDING TRIGGER FOR SHUTTERS Original Filed Jan 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Reissued June 15, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT orFicE FOLDING TRIGGER FOR SHUTTERS Newton B. Green, Rochester, N. Y., assignor, by

mesne assignments, to Eastman Kodak Company, Jersey City, N. 1., a corporation of New Jersey 10 Claims.

This invention relates to photography and more particularly to shutters for photographic cameras. One of the objects of my invention is to provide a photographic shutter particularly adapted for use on the miniature or small sized cameras in which the trigger can be of such size that it may be readily operated, the trigger being made to fold automatically so that it may also be enclosed in a camera casing or so that it may be made to fold flat against the shutter. Another object of my invention is to provide a trigger which is automatically projected into an accessible position when the camera is open and to provide a shutter trigger which is automatically retracted toward the shutter when the camera is closed. Other obj ects will appear from the following specification,

the novel features being particularly pointed out in the claims at the end thereof.

The recent trend in camera construction is to provide the smallest possible camera casing for the size of the film used in the camera. Small size films are now quite widely used and it is difficult to provide a shutter actuating mechanism such as a shutter trigger of such a size that it will be accessible for-operating the camera and yet of a size which will permit the camera to fold into the very limited space which is afforded by the camera casing. To overcome these difficulties,

I have provided what I call a folding shutter trigger, which is automatically projeted into an operative position when the camera is open and which is automatically retracted to a folded position when the camera is closed. By Way of illustrating my invention, I have shown cameras of a known folding type equipped with a folding trigger. Obviously, my invention can be applied .to advantage to a wide variety of different types of cameras.

Coming now to the drawings wherein like reference characters denote like parts throughout:

Fig. l is a front elevation of a folding camera of known type equipped with a camera trigger constructed in accordance with and embodying a preferred form of my invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary front elevation of the shutter and trigger shown in Fig. 1,

but with the shutter cover removed, the trigger being in an unfolded position;

Fig. 3 is a View similar to Fig. 2, but with the parts shown in the position they assume after an exposure has been completed;

Fig. 4 is similar to Figs. 2 and 3, but with the trigger in a rest or folded position;

55 Fig. 5 is a side elevation with parts broken away, showing a camera equipped with my improved trigger as illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary detail of the camera shown in Fig. 5, but with the parts in a partially folded position;

Fig. '7 is a top plan View of the camera shutter and a portion of the camera front, the camera being the same as that shown in Figs. 1 and 5;

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of a second embodiment-of my invention; and

Fig. 9 is a front elevation of the camera shown in Fig. 8.

In small sized cameras, it is desirable to have the shutter trigger projected into an accessible position so that it can be readily operated.

' In the embodiment of my invention shown in Figs. 1-7 inclusive, the camera may be of the type having abody portion l and a front portion 2, the front portion carrying a shutter casing 3, a shutter cover 4, and an objective 5 in a cell 6.

The shutter 3 may be equipped with a shutter trigger 1, and, as shown in Fig. 1, when the camera. has'been opened to make an exposure, the trigger '1 projects to one side of the shutter cover plate 4, so that it can be readily operated.

In order to permit the shutter trigger l to fold and unfold in the preferred embodiment of my invention, I have constructed the shutter trigger of two parts, I and 8, each of which is pivoted upon a stud 9 so as to turn thereon.

Spring [0 tends to turn part i upon the stud 9 toward the shutter casing 3 and into a folded position. This movement of trigger I will not affect the trigger part 8, because as trigger 1 moves in the direction shown by the arrow in Fig. 2, the contacting edge I! moves away from 2. lug l2 carried by the trigger part 8. This trigger part is normally held in the position shown in Fig. 1, by means of a spring [3.

However, when the camera has been erected for making an exposure and the trigger is in the position shown in Fig. 2, an exposure can be made by depressing the end of the trigger as indicated by arrow A. As the trigger is depressed, the edge II will strike the lug i2 and the parts I and 8 will move together to make an exposure, the point l4 riding up under the end l5 of a master member I 6, pivoted at I! and having a shutter operating end I8 adapted to engage the trigger projection 19.

The construction of the shutter mechanism itself, aside from the trigger, forms no part of my present invention and is shown and described in United States Patent No. 1,966,313 to W. A. Riddell, granted July 10, 1934.

The means for operating the movable trigger 1 towards a folded position is a spring l0 and the means for operating the trigger 1 to an accessible or unfolded position is the operating lug 20, carried by one of the folding struts 2| which sup: port the camera front 2. This strut is pivoted at 22 to a second strut 23. Strut 2| is pivoted to the camera upon a stud 24.

Strut 23 is pivoted at 24 to the camera front and at its opposite end a pin 25 may slide through slot 26. A pin 21 on strut 2| may slide in a slot 28 in the shutter front. Thus the shutter casing will always move parallel to the camera body I and as the struts approach a totally open position, member 2! will engage a lug 29 on the shutter trigger l and move the trigger downwardly into the position shown in Fig. 2 against the action of spring H3. The shutter is then in a position to make exposures. As the camera front 2 is moved toward the camera body l, as illustrated in Fig. 6, member 29 moves away from the shut ter trigger lug 29 and permits the shutter lever I to move toward the shutter casing and behind the flange 30 of the shutter cover so that the camera can be folded. Fig, 2 shows the position of the trigger when the camera is open ready for an exposure. Fig. 3 shows the position of the trigger after an exposure has been made and before the trigger has been released. Fig. 4 shows the trigger raised under the action of spring in into a position in which it lies behind the flange 30 (not shown on Fig. 4) of the shutter cover 4, so that it may fold into the camera body.

In another embodiment of my invention as illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9, the camera may consist of a simple body having a threaded aperture to receive a screw threaded cylinder 5|, which may carry a shutter 52 integrally therewith. The thread 5| is of such a pitch that a turn of apc proximately 380 will move the shutter from its folded position in which it lies against the body 50 to an open position as shown in Fig. 8.

The shutter 52 carries a trigger 53 which is pivoted inside of the camera shutter 52 upon a stud 54. The trigger is provided with an operating point 55 adapted to ride under the end 56 of a master member 51, which may turn upon a stud 58 and operate a shutter leaf in the usual manner. A spring 59 tends to move the trigger 53 into its unfolded position as shown in Fig. 9. However, when the shutter is turned in a counterclockwise direction to fold the camera-that is to bring the shutter 52 against the camera body 50-the shutter in turning through this angle moves toward the camera body and the trigger will come in contact with a pin 60 carried by the camera body, this pin causing the trigger 53 to move from the broken line position to the full line position in Fig. 9, against the action of spring 55. Thus the trigger will be moved toward the camera shutter into an inaccessible position in which it cannot be accidentally operated and cannot catch on any foreign object and become damaged.

As will be seen from the above two embodiments of my invention, it is not important whether the shutter trigger is held by spring pressure in a folded position or in an unfolded position since the chief object of my invention is to provide a shutter trigger which will automatically move into an accessible position as the camera is opened. This occurs against spring pressure in the first described embodiment of my invention, and under spring pressure in the second described embodiment of my invention.

It is obvious that triggers can be made to fold and unfold in accordance with my invention in a variety of different types of cameras and I contemplate as within the scope of my invention of such forms as may come within the terms of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I declare is new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a folding camera, the combination with a camera body, of a shutter therefor movably mounted thereon, a trigger movably mounted on the shutter and movable to and from a folded position in which the trigger lies close to the shutter as distinguished from an unfolded position in which the trigger projects from the shutter, and means for projecting the trigger from the shutter by moving the shutter from. the camera body and into a picture taking position.

2. In a folding camera, the combination with a camera body, of a shutter therefor movably mounted thereon, a trigger movably mounted on the shutter and movable to and from a folded position in which the trigger lies close to the shutter as distinguished from an unfolded position in which the trigger projects from the shutter, a spring for moving the trigger in'one direction, and means for rendering the spring ineffective by moving the shutter relative to the camera body, said spring and means cooperating to fold the trigger as the shutter is moved toward the camera body.

3. In a photographic camera, the combination with a camera body and a shutter, of means for moving the shutter from the camera body into an operative position, a shutter trigger movably mounted on the shutter and connections between said shutter trigger and said shutter moving means adapted to move the former to an operative position as the latter is moved to an operative picture taking position.

4. In a photographic camera, the combination with a camera body and a shutter, of means for moving the shutter from the camera body into an operative position, a foldable shutter trig ger, means for holding the trigger in an inoperative folded position, and connections between the means for moving the shutter into an operative position and the foldable trigger for moving the latter to an operative position as the shutter is moved from the camera body towards its picture taking position.

5. In a collapsible photographic camera, the combination with a pair of relatively movable camera parts including a camera body and a shutter mechanism, of operative connections between the pair of relatively movable camera parts for guiding the parts into a picture taking position and into a folded position, a shutter trigger mounted for movement laterally of the camera to and from an operative position in which it protrudes laterally and where it may be actuated, connections between the trigger and shutter mechanism adapted to transmit movement from the operably positioned trigger to the shutter mechanism, and a control means adapted to position the trigger in the laterally protruding operative position upon movement of the relatively movable camera parts to their picture tak ing position.

6. In a collapsible photographic camera, the combination with a pair of relatively movable camera parts including a camera body and a shutter mechanism, operative connections between the pair of relatively movable camera parts for guiding the parts into a picture taking position and into a folded position, a shutter trigger mounted for movement laterally of the camera to and from an inoperative position in which it is inaccessible for the operation of the shutter mechanism, and an operative position in which it protrudes laterally and means for moving the trigger from its operative position to its inoperative position controlled by the movement of the relatively movable camera parts from their picture taking position to their folded position.

7. In a collapsible photographic camera, the combination with a pair of relatively movable camera parts including a camera body and a shutter mechanism, operative connections between the pair of relatively movable camera parts for guiding the parts into a picture taking position and into a folded position, a shutter trigger mounted for movement laterally of the camera to and from an operative position in which it protrudes laterally and where it may be actuated, connections between the trigger and shutter mechanism adapted to transmit movement from the operably positioned trigger to the shutter mechanism, and means included in the two relatively movable camera parts adapted to position the trigger in accordance With the position of the relatively movable parts in a laterally protruding operative position when the parts are in their picture taking position and in an inaccessible or folded position when the camera parts are folded from their picture taking position.

8. In a collapsible camera, the combination a pair of relatively movable camera parts including a camera body and a shutter mechanism adapted, when collapsed, to present relatively smooth, unobstructed exterior walls, op erative connections between the relatively movable camera parts for guiding the parts to an extended picture taking position and into a collapsed inoperative position, a shutter trigger movably mounted on one of the relatively movable camera parts and adapted to be moved to and from an operative position in which it projects from a smooth, unobstructed exterior wall, and a control member for moving said trigger to its operative position projecting from an exterior wall upon movement of the camera parts into a picture taking position.

9. In a collapsible camera, the combination with a pair of relatively movable camera parts including a camera body and a shutter mechanism adapted, when collapsed, to present relatively smooth, unobstructed exterior walls, operative connections between the relatively movable camera parts for guiding the parts to an extended picture taken position and into a collapsed inoperative position, a shutter trigger mounted on one of the relatively movable camera parts and adapted to be moved to and from an operative position in which it projects from a smooth, unobstructed exterior wall, and a control member for moving said trigger to a retracted position in which it does not project from an exterior wall, upon a movement of the camera parts to a collapsed position in which they present a smooth exterior wall.

10. In a collapsible camera, the combination with a pair of relatively movable camera parts including a camera body and a shutter mechanism adapted, when collapsed, to present relatively smooth, unobstructed exterior walls, operative connections between the relatively movable camera parts for guiding the parts to an extended picture taking position and into a col lapsed inoperative position, a shutter trigger pivotally mounted on a camera part and adapted to swing to and from an operative position in which it projects a material distance outside the smooth exterior wall of said part, and a control member operable by moving the camera parts to a picture taking position for moving the trigger to its operative position.

NEWTON B. GREEN. 

